Blue Gold: World Water Wars
For starters I watched this film on a whim, it sounded interesting but I had no idea how this would affect my outlook on water and how we use it. This film was released in 2008, and directed by Sam Bozzo. I found this film to be highly eye opening to how water is treated as a saleable community that can be packaged and shipped around the world, in the process, depleting what we think of as an inexhaustible resource. We, as humans pump several hundred thousands of gallons of water from underground aquifers, depleting the groundwater. The groundwater is not being replenished as quickly as we pull form it, due in part to urban design. We have replaced permeable soil with hard, non-permeable blacktop and asphalt, which doesn’t allow the water to soak into the soil and down into the groundwater. Instead water is diverted into rivers, and eventually the ocean.
Water is a basic human need, just like food. Yet water itself has been integrated into the globalization of the world economic system. Where water from water rich regions is being sold, whether on its own, or in the form of an agricultural product, such as rice, grain, or flowers. The plantations that grow these commodities are generally large multinational corporations. Therefore, they have taken control of the local water supply, often diverting much for their own needs, and exhausting resources for the native peoples. The privatization of drinking water has lead to many conflicts around the globe. This often leads to violent riots and civil war conflicts within a country, the country’s military fights for protection of these corporations, resulting in multiple deaths around the world. For me this was a huge eye opener that people have gone without adequate water, to the point of rebellion, and their own country supports the position of the business.
One of the points the film made that I’m skeptical about is the land grabbing that president George Bush, and his family made in Paraguay. The film made it sound like this was a strategic land grab, so that in the future they could be the water “barons” of tomorrow. From my own mind, I am not on board with this idea, I don’t think it isn’t possible just highly unlikely. I do believe that water will be the new oil in the near future, as we squander what resources we have now. There are several examples of how water loss affects a region, both physically and how it affects the populations that relay on that water source. Like Australia’s water crisis, and the Ural Sea.
This film was touching on so many levels. Highly educational about issues that surrounding water, and how it works in the global economy. Showing this film to people of all ages would raise awareness of these issues, and possibly get more people to join the cause, and help those in need. Other solutions purposed by the film, is to build roads, and other infrastructure with permeable concrete, which allows water to pass through into the soil and then into the ground water. Building small wooden and earthen dams to hold water back so that it can permeate into the ground water. In conclusion, excellent film defiantly worth the time, possibly change how you feel about water issues.
For more information on Water wars: Chicago Water Wars The World's Water
For starters I watched this film on a whim, it sounded interesting but I had no idea how this would affect my outlook on water and how we use it. This film was released in 2008, and directed by Sam Bozzo. I found this film to be highly eye opening to how water is treated as a saleable community that can be packaged and shipped around the world, in the process, depleting what we think of as an inexhaustible resource. We, as humans pump several hundred thousands of gallons of water from underground aquifers, depleting the groundwater. The groundwater is not being replenished as quickly as we pull form it, due in part to urban design. We have replaced permeable soil with hard, non-permeable blacktop and asphalt, which doesn’t allow the water to soak into the soil and down into the groundwater. Instead water is diverted into rivers, and eventually the ocean.
Water is a basic human need, just like food. Yet water itself has been integrated into the globalization of the world economic system. Where water from water rich regions is being sold, whether on its own, or in the form of an agricultural product, such as rice, grain, or flowers. The plantations that grow these commodities are generally large multinational corporations. Therefore, they have taken control of the local water supply, often diverting much for their own needs, and exhausting resources for the native peoples. The privatization of drinking water has lead to many conflicts around the globe. This often leads to violent riots and civil war conflicts within a country, the country’s military fights for protection of these corporations, resulting in multiple deaths around the world. For me this was a huge eye opener that people have gone without adequate water, to the point of rebellion, and their own country supports the position of the business.
One of the points the film made that I’m skeptical about is the land grabbing that president George Bush, and his family made in Paraguay. The film made it sound like this was a strategic land grab, so that in the future they could be the water “barons” of tomorrow. From my own mind, I am not on board with this idea, I don’t think it isn’t possible just highly unlikely. I do believe that water will be the new oil in the near future, as we squander what resources we have now. There are several examples of how water loss affects a region, both physically and how it affects the populations that relay on that water source. Like Australia’s water crisis, and the Ural Sea.
This film was touching on so many levels. Highly educational about issues that surrounding water, and how it works in the global economy. Showing this film to people of all ages would raise awareness of these issues, and possibly get more people to join the cause, and help those in need. Other solutions purposed by the film, is to build roads, and other infrastructure with permeable concrete, which allows water to pass through into the soil and then into the ground water. Building small wooden and earthen dams to hold water back so that it can permeate into the ground water. In conclusion, excellent film defiantly worth the time, possibly change how you feel about water issues.
For more information on Water wars:
Chicago Water Wars
The World's Water